Title : Lovely Complex
Genre : Comedy, Romance, School-life, Shojou
Episodes : 24
Story :
Risa Koizumi is 172 centimetres (5 ft 8 in) tall, taller than the average girl. Atsushi Otani, is 156 cm (5 ft 1 in), shorter than the average guy.Their constant bickering and comical love-hate relationship is well-known throughout the school, Sakai , Osaka. They act similarly and love the same music, and their friendship is full of laughing, shouting at each other, and of course, lots of jokes about one another's height. But when Risa notices her feelings for Otani growing, she's worried. She doesn't know if he can ever see her as more than a friend. With her friends rooting for her, she struggles to make him see how she feels about him, and that a romantic relationship between a tall girl and a short guy can work. Oblivious Otani doesn't make things easy for her, but she stubbornly perseveres in her own unconventional way, determined for her feelings to get through to him, and finally be returned. If only she could do it without driving herself and everyone else crazy in the process...
Characters Description :
Risa Koizumi (小泉リサ Koizumi Risa)
The protagonist, Risa Koizumi is not your average Japanese high school student. Standing 172 centimetres (5 ft 8 in), Risa's height is well above that of most Japanese girls her age (the average height for a female is 158 cm (5 ft 2 in)) Ironically, her surname means 'little spring'. She and other characters compare her to a giraffe. Risa can be impulsive and strong-willed at times, and is rarely willing to display her softer side. She had a crush on Suzuki before he started dating Chiharu. In the beginning of the series, Risa is 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) but she gains 2 cm (0.79 in) in height to become 172 cm (5 ft 8 in).
Risa starts developing feelings for Ōtani and soon admits to herself that she likes him. She then starts trying to confess. Failing the first time, Nobuko and Nakao try to help, Nobuko often giving Risa advice on what to do. Finally she very directly tells him. She immediately regrets it, and tells Ōtani to pretend it never happened, but in spite of herself she tells Ōtani once again that she likes him. Ōtani responds that he couldn't see her as a girlfriend yet, so her new goal is to make Ōtani regret that and make him like her as well. Eventually they start going out.
Atsushi Ōtani (大谷敦士 Ōtani Atsushi)
Atsushi Ōtani is one of the main characters. He is very short for a boy, standing 156 centimetres (5 ft 1 in). The average height for a male in Japan is 172 cm (5 ft 8 in). Like Koizumi, Ōtani's surname (roughly, "big valley") is a pun on his diminutive stature, and he can be thoughtless and rude; at heart, however, he is kind and a little silly. Ōtani is also the star player of the school basketball team.
His ex-girlfriend is Mayu Kanzaki, the manager of his middle-school basketball team. She broke up with him for a much taller boyfriend, and this is one of the reasons Ōtani is sensitive about his height, but he later finds out that wasn't the reason she broke up with him, it was because she was in love with someone else already who just happened to be tall. He doesn't know quite yet how he feels about Risa, and only responds that he can't see her as a girlfriend (at the moment) when Risa confesses her feelings. But later, he realizes that he does care for her, and he kisses her. Later on in the series, Ōtani gets the wrong idea when Risa keep doing suspicious things with her co-worker Kohori, and then breaks up with her. However, after seeing how devoted she is to him, Ōtani reconsiders and they make up on Christmas Eve.
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Risa starts developing feelings for Ōtani and soon admits to herself that she likes him. She then starts trying to confess. Failing the first time, Nobuko and Nakao try to help, Nobuko often giving Risa advice on what to do. Finally she very directly tells him. She immediately regrets it, and tells Ōtani to pretend it never happened, but in spite of herself she tells Ōtani once again that she likes him. Ōtani responds that he couldn't see her as a girlfriend yet, so her new goal is to make Ōtani regret that and make him like her as well. Eventually they start going out.
Atsushi Ōtani (大谷敦士 Ōtani Atsushi)
Atsushi Ōtani is one of the main characters. He is very short for a boy, standing 156 centimetres (5 ft 1 in). The average height for a male in Japan is 172 cm (5 ft 8 in). Like Koizumi, Ōtani's surname (roughly, "big valley") is a pun on his diminutive stature, and he can be thoughtless and rude; at heart, however, he is kind and a little silly. Ōtani is also the star player of the school basketball team.
His ex-girlfriend is Mayu Kanzaki, the manager of his middle-school basketball team. She broke up with him for a much taller boyfriend, and this is one of the reasons Ōtani is sensitive about his height, but he later finds out that wasn't the reason she broke up with him, it was because she was in love with someone else already who just happened to be tall. He doesn't know quite yet how he feels about Risa, and only responds that he can't see her as a girlfriend (at the moment) when Risa confesses her feelings. But later, he realizes that he does care for her, and he kisses her. Later on in the series, Ōtani gets the wrong idea when Risa keep doing suspicious things with her co-worker Kohori, and then breaks up with her. However, after seeing how devoted she is to him, Ōtani reconsiders and they make up on Christmas Eve.
Nobuko Ishihara (石原信子 Ishihara Nobuko)
Fashionable and charming, Nobu is Risa's best friend. She is generally wiser than Risa or Chiharu in the ways of love, and is always ready to offer her advice. She's mostly the one who sets up all the 'alone time' moments with Risa and Ōtani, but it usually ends up failing and Risa goes back to her for comfort. She's utterly in love with her boyfriend, Nakao, and is always calling him her 'honey', 'darling', and 'baby'.
Heikichi Nakao (中尾平吉 Nakao Heikichi)
Nobu's boyfriend and Ōtani's best friend. Considerate, sensitive, mild-mannered and easygoing. Nakao is absolutely dedicated to Nobu, and when he is not playing basketball with Ōtani, he can usually be found helping with her match-making schemes.
Chiharu Tanaka (田中千春 Tanaka Chiharu)
One of Risa's closest friends, Chiharu has such a shy, demure personality that she fears most boys her own age. Ōtani once harbored a crush on her (she resembles Kanzaki, his ex-girlfriend, or vice-versa), but Chiharu instead fell for the gentle Suzuki. The two are now a couple. When everybody starts making college plans, Suzuki and Chiharu applied for the same college, but Suzuki got rejected. He sadly tells Chiharu somebody else would be able to protect her. For the first time, Chiharu breaks out of her shy character and violently lifts up a desk and throws at him (narrowly missing), frustrated that Suzuki thinks he can be replaced. They later make up and Suzuki promises to join Chiharu in her new school the next year.
Ryoji Suzuki (鈴木涼二 Suzuki Ryoji)
Chiharu's boyfriend. Suzuki's cool demeanor is often mistaken for standoffishness, and so he has few friends. Oblivious to Risa's crush on him, he develops feelings for Chiharu, and eventually asks her out. Like Chiharu, Suzuki is shy and easily embarrassed. When failed to get into the same university as Chiharu, he promises to try again the year after.
Haruka Fukagawa (深川遥 Fukagawa Haruka)
A handsome, effeminate young man who developed a childhood crush on Risa when she defended him from a gang of bullies. Though he is popular with many of the other girls (dating seven at a time and towards chapter 52 dates 2 more for a total of nine), he says it's all preparation for when he goes out with Risa, but she always rejects him. According to Risa his grandmother is English. It is also suggested that he might have a crush on Seiko.
Mayu Kanzaki (神崎真由 Kanzaki Mayu)
She is the ex-girlfriend of Ōtani. She and Chiharu look very similar, which is the most likely reasons that Ōtani had a crush on Chiharu. They started dating in middle-school, and she was the manager for the school basketball team. She broke up with him, leaving him completely heartbroken, because she was in love with someone else who was tall, causing his inferiority complex.
She invited Ōtani to the team Christmas party, and though Ōtani accepts, he ends up going with Risa to the Umibōzu concert instead. She then visited Ōtani's school to see him, but encountered Risa and Nobu. Risa is convinced that Ōtani is still in love with her, so she goes to clear up a misunderstanding. It is then that Mayu tells him that it was not because of his height that she broke up with him. However, she appears again later, after having broken up with her boyfriend. When she asks to meet up with again, he says "Sorry, I can't because if I do there'll be an idiot who'll cry."
Kuniumi Maitake (舞竹国海 Maitake Kuniumi)
Student teacher at Risa and Ōtani's school. Maitake, who prefers the nickname "Maity" or "Mighty", is taller than Risa and extraordinarily good-looking. He bears a resemblance to "Cain-sama", a character in one of Risa's favorite visual novels, and soon acquires a legion of female fans. Gaining affection from Risa, Ōtani soon becomes jealous and quickly starts to realize his feelings for her. It is later revealed he has a fiance - named Jody - much to the disappointment of his fan club - and that he is Haruka's cousin.
OK, let us take a sneak preview of the anime series of "Lovely Complex".
In this anime series, I like the character of Nobu-chan, the best friend of Risa. The reason is she is a nice girl and she always helps and supports her best friend, moreover I think she is cute too. This is a very funny anime, when you are able to see the expressions of both the lead girl and guy. Both of them like to fight but they have the same interest and the guy, Otani has rejected few times to Risa due to he could not accept her as his girlfriend at the beginning, until he kisses her and started to love her. On the other hand, there is also story about their friends.
Besides the animeation series, "Love.Com" was also adapted as a live-action movie directed by Kitaji Ishikawa with screenplay by Osamu Suzuki. It starred Ema Fujisawa as Risa Koizumi and Teppei Koike as Atsushi Ōtani. It was released in theaters in year 2006. But I am yet to watch this movie, and I think I'll catch it online soon.
Again, let us take a peek of some scenes of the movie.
So, if you are interested to watch the anime series or movie of "Lovely Complex" or even would like to read the manga series. You may click on the respective links as below.
Lovely Complex Manga Series
Lovely Complex Anime Series
Lovely Complex Movie
Well, enjoy your watching and/or reading! ^.^
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